BEL wins 5 Governance Now Awards

BEL wins 5 Governance Now Awards

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has received five Governance Now Awards: for Business Diversification, Adoption of Technological Innovations, HR Excellence, Environmental Sustainability and Research and Development.

The awards were received for BEL by Mr M M Joshi, Executive Director (National Marketing), BEL, from Mr Mansukh L Mandaviya, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Chemical & Fertilisers and Mrs Krishna Raj, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare at the 5th Governance Now PSU Awards held on February 27, 2018, at New Delhi. The Governance Now Awards recognises the efforts of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) that have been key to the country’s growth.

Photo caption:

Mr M M Joshi, Executive Director (National Marketing), BEL (right extreme), receiving the Governance Now Awards for BEL from Mr Mansukh L Mandaviya, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Chemical & Fertilisers and Mrs Krishna Raj, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare at the 5th Governance Now PSU Awards held on February 27, 2018, at New Delhi. Mr Raju Srivastava, popular stand-up comedian is also seen.

Bengaluru

ASHISH KANSAL

March 1, 2018

SR DGM (CORPORATE COMMUNICATION)

BEL to set up Rs. 13.5-crore sewage treatment plant to restore Doddabommasandra Lake

BEL to set up Rs. 13.5-crore sewage treatment plant to restore Doddabommasandra Lake

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) is setting up a 10 MLD (million litres per day) Sewage Treatment Plant to rejuvenate the Doddabommasandra Lake at a cost of Rs. 13.5 crores. BEL has taken up this initiative — a first-of-its-kind — as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility activities, in collaboration with the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA), BBMP and the Revenue Department.

The Doddabommasandra Lake contributes to recharge of ground water in the Doddabommasandra watershed region. The lake covers an area of 50.31 hectares (124.35 acres). The Doddabommasandra watershed region replenishes the ground water table of Vidyaranyapura, Govindayyanapalya, Doddabommasandra and Thindlu areas.

Rainfall is the only source of water for this lake, which is presently running dry. Even the water collected during the monsoons is lost due to percolation and evaporation. The lake is fast being depleted of its biodiversity and socio-ecological balance.

BEL proposes to replenish the lake with waste water treated at the proposed plant and create a large water body, rich in biodiversity.

The Sewage Treatment Plant will be designed on the latest ‘Sequential Batch Reactor Technology’ (SBR). This is an advanced version of the well-established ‘Activated Sludge Process’ of the Central Public Health and Environment Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO).

The sewage is fed into the SBR Units for biological treatment involving organic matter degradation, nitrification, de-nitrification and phosphorous removal. The oxygen required for the process is supplied through ‘Fine Bubble Diffused Aeration System’ with auto control of oxygen levels in the basin. The complete operation, including filling of sewage, aeration, sludge recirculation and decanting will be SCADA/PLC-controlled.

The treated water, after meeting Pollution Control Board norms, will pass through the wetland comprising aquatic plants before flowing into the lake.

BEL will construct the sewage treatment plant in the next 18 months and will maintain it for a period of 20 years.

Benefits to stake holders

The benefits of such a plant include recharging of ground water, reduction of sewage load on the BWSSB treatment plant, improved ground water table in areas in and around the lake which is home to a population of about 3 lakhs, prevention of pollution due to untreated sewage, favourable conditions for the growth of fauna and flora, improved micro climatic conditions leading to a balanced ecological system, new recreational opportunities for fishing, bird watching and educational visits.

Bengaluru

ASHISH KANSAL

February 17, 2018

SR DGM (CORPORATE COMMUNICATION)

New General Manager (Finance) takes charge at BEL-Corporate Office

Mr Visvanathan Muralidharan has taken charge as General Manager (Finance) at the Corporate Office of Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL).

Mr V Muralidharan is a Management Accountant of the 1987 batch of the Chartered Management Accountants Institute, UK. He joined BEL in July 1989 after a brief stint with Life Insurance Corporation of India. He also possesses additional qualification in Management and Insurance.

Mr V Muralidharan has served BEL in various capacities, both at the Company’s Bangalore Complex and Corporate Office. He has handled diverse areas of Finance like Costing, Budgeting, Compilation and Treasury. He has rich experience in Treasury Management and handling complex issues with banks/financial institutions and credit rating agencies. He has been instrumental in bringing about several systemic changes in Treasury Management in the Company. He has also handled a few Capital Restructuring exercises like Bonus, Buyback and Stock Split. He is also a member of the Corporate Risk Management Committee.

BEL CMD conferred Amity Leadership Award

Mr Gowtama M V, Chairman & Managing Director of Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), and BEL have been conferred the ‘Amity Leadership Award for Business Excellence’ by the Amity School of Engineering and Technology, Uttar Pradesh. The award was received by Mr M M Joshi, Executive Director (National Marketing), BEL, at the IEEE Conference held recently at Amity University, Noida. Under the able leadership of Mr Gowtama M V, CMD, BEL has leveraged its capabilities in IT to make immense contributions to the field of Surveillance and Defence industry.

Raksha Mantri visits BEL

The Hon’ble Raksha Mantri, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, made her maiden visit to the Bangalore Complex of Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd and had a first-hand glimpse of the facilities here today, January 9, 2018. The Hon’ble Raksha Mantri also had detailed discussions with the BEL Management on both ongoing and futuristic projects of the Defence major.

Smt Nirmala Sitharaman was given a Corporate overview covering the business profile, infrastructure and manufacturing and testing facilities, manpower, Research & Development and Quality initiatives, and business performance of BEL.

The Hon’ble Raksha Mantri visited the outdoor test facility of Military Radar and Missile Systems Strategic Business Units. She appreciated the dedication and hard work put in by the women employees of BEL involved in the Akash Missile project and other radar projects. Smt Nirmala Sitharaman also visited the new Near Field Test facility, Microwave Supercomponents and Coastal Surveillance System facilities at BEL-Bangalore and appreciated the work done by BEL in Defence electronics.

The highlight of BEL’s product display was the upgraded L70 Gun which has been designed, developed and manufactured by BEL for the Indian Army. The L70 gun upgrade is a fusion of the latest technologies in the areas of electrical servo drives, Electro Optical Fire Control System and video tracking, which only a few global companies have mastered.

Other BEL products/systems showcased at the Thailand exhibition included Land and Naval Radars, Communication Equipment, Night Vision Devices /Electro Optic equipment, Naval Fire Control Systems, Shipborne Systems including Naval EW Systems and Sonar Systems, Simulators and Air Defence Weapon System. Also on display was the Coastal Surveillance System developed by BEL for the Indian Coast Guard to provide maritime security to vulnerable ports and installations and help thwart terrorists’ attempts to sneak into the country via sea route.

Defense & Security 2017 is the 8th biennial edition of the show which is considered a ‘must-attend’ for military and security related companies looking to do business in the ASEAN market.

New Director (Finance) takes charge at BEL

Mr Koshy Alexander has taken charge as the new Director (Finance) of Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) on September 25, 2017. He was GM (Finance) & Chief Financial Officer before his elevation.

Mr Koshy Alexander joined BEL-Bangalore in June 1986 as Accounts Officer after completing his Chartered Accountancy, securing the 19th and 16th ranks in the CA Inter and Final examinations, respectively. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, he had completed his B.Com from Bangalore University with 2nd Rank. He is also a post-graduate in Commerce and degree in Law from Bangalore University.

Mr Koshy Alexander took over as GM (Internal Audit)/BEL-Corporate Office on December, 2012. He later served as GM (Finance)/ BEL-Corporate Office from June 2014.

Mr Alexander has served as Finance Head of many of the BEL’s Strategic Business Units of Military Radar, Naval Systems, Components etc., and also headed the Finance of BEL-Ghaziabad Unit. He had also served as Assistant Regional Manager at BEL’s New York Office.

Mr Alexander played a key role in Capital structuring and integration of technology in the business process. He has managed the financials of major Defence contracts. He has attended Advanced Management Programme on sustainable development in Europe.

BEL wins ASSOCHAM Excellence Award for ‘Responsible Organisation’

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has won the first prize in the ‘Responsible Organisation Excellence Awards’ 2016-17 (PSU category), instituted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

Mr Gowtama M V, CMD, BEL, and Mr M M Joshi, Executive Director (National Marketing), BEL, received the award from Mr Arjun Ram Meghwal, Hon’ble Minister of State for the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs & Ministry of Water Resources & Ganga Rejuvenation, at the 9th Global CSR Summit, “Responsible Business: Building New India”, organised by ASSOCHAM on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, at New Delhi.

BEL wins Excellence Awards

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has won two awards at the Manufacturing Today Conference & Awards (2017), organised at Pune on September 22, 2017.

Mr Manoj Kumar, General Manager of BEL’s Kotdwara Unit, received the runner up award in the ‘Plant Head of the Year for 2017’ category. BEL’s Chennai Unit won the runner-up award in the ‘Excellence in Engineering Design 2017’ (Large) category for Solid State Convertor fitted in BMP-II tank. Mrs Padmini Sivasankaran, Sr DGM (D&E)/BEL-Chennai, and Mr Srinivasan, Deputy Manager (D&E)/BEL-Chennai received the awards on behalf of BEL-Chennai.

Now in its 6th year, Manufacturing Today Conference & Awards recognises outstanding efforts of individuals and companies in the manufacturing business.

BEL has won four PSE Excellence Awards

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has won four PSE Excellence Awards 2016, instituted by the Indian Chamber of Commerce: first prize in the Maharatna & Navaratna category for Operational Performance Excellence and second prizes in the Maharatna & Navaratna category for R&D, Technology Development and Innovation, Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability and Corporate Governance. Mr M M Joshi, ED (National Marketing), received the awards on behalf of BEL from Mr T N R Rao, former Petroleum Secretary, at the awards function held at New Delhi on September 7, 2017.

BEL showcases ‘Made in India’ Defence systems at DSEI 2017, London

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) is showcasing its capabilities at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2017 exhibition being held from September 12-15, 2017, at ExCel London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL, UK.

The highlight of BEL’s display is Akash Weapon System, the medium-range, surface-to-air missile Defence system, and Weapon Locating Radar, the field artillery radar system developed for the Indian Army. Subsystems of Akash such as Troop Level Radar, Troop Control Centre, Troop Level Radar Power Supply, Missiles and Missile Launcher, along with Weapon Locating Radar are on show at BEL’s outdoor display at the India Pavilion, Stand No. N6-110.

The Akash Weapon System is a great success story of the ‘Make in India’ initiative: barring a few electronic components, every bit of Akash has the ‘Made in India’ tag. The Akash Weapon System is a role model for Public-Private Partnership. The missile system has been realised through professional project management spearheaded by BEL. While the Radars, Control Centres, Simulators, associated support systems and the integrated software for the system are provided by BEL, the missiles are from Bharat Dynamics Limited and remaining sub-systems are manufactured and supplied by other private industry players.

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has paid a total dividend of 225% to the Government of India for 2016-17.

Mr Gowtama M V, Chairman & Managing Director, BEL, presented the 105% Final Dividend cheque of Rs. 159,91,95,056.55/- (Rupees One hundred fifty-nine crores ninety one lakh ninety-five thousand fifty-six and fifty-five paise only), payable on the shares held by the President of India and Government nominee, to the Hon’ble Defence Minister, Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman, at New Delhi on November 10, 2017. The first Interim Dividend of 30% (on face value of Rs. 10 per equity share) was paid to the Government of India in January 2017 and second Interim Dividend of 90% (on face value of Re. 1 per equity share) was paid to the Government of India in March 2017.

The BEL Academy for Excellence with sprawling complex spread over six acres is built at a cost of Rs.47Crs. This Academy of Excellence is envisaged to address the training needs of not only BEL employees, but also its customers and vendors/partners, especially MSMEs/SMEs. This institution, which will be affiliated to national/international universities, will also cater to the skill development initiatives of the Central Government. The training programmes have been structured around three core areas: Quality, Technology, and Leadership, with various programs designed with the help of experts from major institutes like IITs, IIMs, IISC, IETE, ISI, ASQ etc.

The NABL accredited EMC test facility is set up at BEL-Bengaluru at a cost of Rs.60Crs. This EMC facility is the first of its kind in India having Anechoic Chamber of size 11m x 21m x 30m and can conduct testing of Systems/Platforms weighing up to 70 Tonnes. It can be used to conduct system level Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) tests for strategic Defence systems like Battle Tanks, Communication vehicles, Radar systems and Airborne systems including Nuclear Electro Magnetic Pulse (NEMP) and High Altitude Electro Magnetic Pulse (HEMP) testing. It can be used to carry out system level EMC testing for many projects of national importance like AKASH, IACCS, LRSAM, Weapon Locating Radar and Battlefield Management System. The facility will also be open for use to other Indian Defence companies, including MSMEs.

Near Field Antenna Test Range (NFTR) is a critical infrastructure for calibration and testing of Radars and communication antennas. The NFTR facility at Bengaluru is the third such in BEL and the only one in the Defence industry in India. This facility, set up at a cost of Rs.30Crs will help to calibrate and test next generation Radars with AESA (Active Electronically Steerable Array) based Antenna arrays as well as Antennas for major projects such as QRSAM, MRSAM and LRSAM.

BEL wins D&B Top PSU Award 2017

BENGALURU, July 28, 2017: Navratna defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has won Dun and Bradstreet India’s Top PSU Award 2017 in the Manufacturing: Medium and Light Engineering Sector category. Shri M M Joshi, Executive Director (National Marketing), BEL, received the award on behalf of BEL from Mr. Neeraj Kumar Gupta, Secretary, Department of Investment & Public Asset Management, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, at the awards ceremony held at New Delhi on July 25, 2017.

BEL signs MoU for FY 2017-18 with MoD

Bharat Electronics Limited, a Navratna schedule 'A' CPSE under the Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, Government of India, has signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the FY 2017-18 with its ministry. The annual MoU was signed between Mr Ashok Kumar Gupta, IAS, Secretary, Defence Production, Govt of India, and Mr Gowtama M V, CMD, BEL. In addition to revenue from operations, additional focus has been given to Turnover from Exports, increase in Indigenous Content, CAPEX, Monitoring of CAPEX Projects, Reduction in Trade Receivables, and HR related parameters.

BEL wins six Raksha Mantri’s Awards

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has won six of the prestigious Raksha Mantri’s Awards for Excellence for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16. Mr M V Gowtama, Chairman & Managing Director, Directors and other senior officers of BEL received the awards from Mr Arun Jaitley, Raksha Mantri, and Mr Subhash Bhamre, Raksha Rajya Mantri, at a ceremony organised in New Delhi on May 30, 2017.

Here are the six awards won by BEL:

Raksha Mantri’s Group/Individual Award for “Indigenisation” for the year 2014-15 under the category On Order Projects for Doppler Weather Radar (S Band Doppler Weather Radar & C Band Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radar) developed by the Development & Engineering (D&E) Division of the Naval Systems 2 (Radar Systems & Fire Control Systems) Strategic Business Unit (SBU), BEL-Bangalore.

Raksha Mantri’s Group/Individual Award for “Design Effort” for the year 2014-15 under the category On Order Projects for LYNX U2 Naval Gun Fire Control System developed by the D&E Division of Naval Systems 2 SBU, BEL-Bangalore, for the Indian Navy.

Raksha Mantri’s Institutional Award for “Best Performance in Export” for the year 2015-16.

Raksha Mantri’s Best Performing Division/Factory/Shipyard Award for the “Best Performing Division” among DPSUs for Naval Systems 2 SBU, BEL-Bangalore, for the year 2015-16.

Raksha Mantri’s Group/Individual Award for “Indigenisation” for the year 2015-16 under the category On Order Projects for the Light Weight Portable Laser Target Designator developed by the D&E Division of BEL-Pune.

Raksha Mantri’s Group/Individual Award for “Design Effort” for the year 2015-16 under the category On Order Projects for the Test Bed for Automated Air Defence Control and Reporting System (ADC&RS) developed by the D&E Division of Network Centric System (NCS) Group/Air Defence Control and Reporting System/NSC SBU of BEL-Ghaziabad, for the field force of the Indian Army.

The Raksha Mantri’s Awards have been instituted to recognise exemplary performance amongst Ordnance Factories and Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).

Bengaluru, 15th May 2017 : With reference to the news story published on web portal(s) stating therein that a team of Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) would be participating in demonstration cum Hackathon of EVMs being organised by Botswana Election Commission on 18th of this month, BEL states that this news story is completely baseless and false.

BEL categorically states that it has not sold any EVMs or VVPATs to Botswana Election Commission. Botswana Election commission has invited team of BEL to show only the functionality of EVMs and VVPATs designed to meet the specific requirements of Botswana Government. These EVMs and VVPATs are different from the ones which are used by Election Commission of India.

No Hackathon event involving any EVM of BEL has been planned or scheduled by it. Therefore, Press Note issued by Botswana Election Commission is without our approval / consent and facts stated therein are completely false and incorrect.

(M V Gowtama)

(Chairman & Managing Director)

BEL contributes for Smart India Hackathon 2017

Bengaluru, April 3, 2017: BEL participated in the grand finale of Smart India Hackathon 2017, a 36-hour non-stop event promoted by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), as a sponsor.

BEL also nominated judges for the hackathon, a first-of-its-kind computer programming competition meant to identify new and disruptive digital technology innovations for solving various challenges faced by the country. The event was organised with an aim to harness the creativity and expertise of students from all over India.

Solutions to some of the problem statements given by the Ministry of Defence were attempted by students gathered for the Bangalore chapter of Smart India Hackathon 2017, Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering, Bangalore, on April 1 and 2, 2017. Smart applications developed by the students are expected to help address real-time problems of the Defence industry. The winners were awarded cash prizes and certificates by Mr Gowtama M V, CMD. The winning team members stand a chance to be part of the NASSCOM’s 10,000 Startups Programme.

BEL Achieves Turnover of Rs. 8,800 Crores

BENGALURU, April 1, 2017: Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has ended the year 2016-17 by registering whopping top line figure of about Rs.8,800 Crores (provisional), a growth of about 17% over the previous year’s turnover of Rs. 7,522 Crores.

Some of the flagship projects executed during the year include Akash Weapon System, Hand held Thermal Imager with Laser Range Finder, 3D Tactical Control Radar, Weapon Locating Radar, Upgraded L-70 Guns, Fire Control systems, Hull Mounted Sonar, Radio Relays, Elements of Integrated Air Command and Control system, Ship Borne EW systems, etc.

BEL’s Chairman & Managing Director M V. Gowtama said, “During the year the company’s main focus has been on Indigenization to achieve self reliance, capacity building & expansion and increased outsourcing to SME sector. Also, BEL has been able to maintain good order acquisition this year. These efforts will enable BEL to continue to have sustained growth while effectively addressing future opportunities in defence business.”

BEL launches Next Gen communication Radio set

BEL has unveiled its new communication radio for the Indian armed forces: STARS-V Mk III, at Aero India 2017 on February 16, 2017. It is completely designed, developed and made in BEL.

STARS-V Mk III is a state-of-the-art, Next Generation, Multi-band, High Data Rate, software intensive IP radio with Mobile Adhoc Networking (MANET) functionality supporting up to 64 nodes. The radio works in wide frequency band in the V/UHF range of 30-512 MHz and supports Frequency Hopping (FH) and Fixed Frequency (FF) modes of operation with built-in-high-grade digital voice and data secrecy. The radio is built with the latest state-of-the- art hardware using DSP and FPGA.

This new radio is backward compatible with the legacy STARS-V Mk II radio in clear, secure and frequency hopping modes of operation. The radio is designed as a 10W manpack transceiver. It comes with built-in encryption, GPS Receiver, Ethernet interface and is password protected.

The MANET network is self-forming, self-healing and supports network throughput upto 1 Mbps and does not require any Base station or infrastructure required for setting up of the network.

Memorandum of Understanding signed between Space Applications Centre, ISRO, and Bharat Electronics Limited

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Space Applications Centre, ISRO Ahmedabad, and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for joint development of various technologies and extending co-operation for manufacturing on priority on February 27, 2017.

BEL pays Rs. 49.21 cr Interim Dividend to Govt

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has paid an Interim Dividend of Rs.49,21,87,221/- (Rupees Forty Nine Crores Twenty One Lakhs Eighty Seven Thousand Two Hundred and Twenty One only) to the Government of India for the year 2016-17.

Mr M V Gowtama, CMD, BEL, presented the Interim Dividend cheque to the Defence Minister, Mr Manohar Parrikar, at New Delhi on March 9, 2017. BEL has declared 30% per cent Interim Dividend (Rs.3/- per share) to its shareholders for the year 2016-17.

This is the 13th consecutive year that BEL is paying Interim Dividend. The Company had paid 170% Dividend in the previous year 2015-16 (25% Interim Dividend in February, 2016 and 145% Final Dividend in October, 2016.

In a major beautification drive bound to bring cheers to commuters, pedestrians and the public at large, Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has given a facelift to the entire stretch leading from BEL Circle to Doddabommasandra that was, thus far, reeling under ever-increasing traffic woes.

It is estimated that around 5,000 vehicles pass through BEL Circle per hour daily and traffic logjams have become the order of the day here. All that’s set to change now with BEL’s CSR initiative to overhaul the infrastructure at a cost of Rs. 3.16 crores, with the help of renowned traffic management consultant, Prof M N Sreehari, Advisor to the Government of Karnataka for Traffic, Transportation & Infrastructure.

New traffic islands, bus shelters

The existing traffic islands at BEL Circle have been relocated and the median realigned. New Zebra crossings have been created and solar traffic signals installed. The existing three bus shelters near BEL Circle have been demolished and new ones constructed adjacent to the BEL factory’s boundary wall. A separate bus lane has been laid out by moving the bus shelters away from the circle to reduce traffic.

The bus stop near BEL Hospital has been moved to a spot opposite the hospital to avoid traffic congestion. The new bus shelter is located away from road to make way for driveways. An existing drain has been covered with RCC slab to make way for an auto stand.

That’s not all. The entire road from BEL Circle to Doddabommasandra via Nagaland Circle has been widened. New tiled foot paths with painted kerb stones have been laid out and new storm water drains and culverts constructed.

New men’s and women’s toilets have been constructed at BEL Circle on pay and use basis and an agency has been appointed to maintain the toilets. Signages for various BEL establishments have been installed on the roadside which is now lit up with LED lights. Apart from these, a green belt has been established near the BEL CBSE Vidyalaya.

BEL launches BELCOMNET communication network

BEL unveiled its new communication network, BELCOMNET, for the Defence/Paramilitary forces and export market, on February 15, 2017, at Aero India 2017.

BELCOMNET, designed and developed by BEL, is a V/UHF secure voice communication network with user specific encryption algorithm. The network facilitates exchange of secure voice through repeaters that are dispersed geographically. This enables connecting two or more dispersed locations for day-to-day communications. For example, brigades in field and headquarters across towns can be connected using IPv6 features. It also facilitates broadcasting to all sites, in case of an emergency or a crisis.

The various blocks of this network are Handheld Radio, Manpack Radio, Base Station radio, Vehicular Radio, VHF Repeater Radio, UHF Link Radio and Remote Monitor & Switching Unit (RMSU). The VHF repeater, UHF link and RMSU are co-located and installed together at a communication tower site. The mobile subscriber radios around the repeater are handheld, manpack, vehicular whereas static subscriber is base station.

The typical communication range of handheld radios around the repeater is approximately 5 km and that of the manpack, base station and vehicular radios is around 15-20 km. The range of the UHF point to point link is around 60-100 km with directional antennas. The antennas for Repeater, UHF link and Base Station are mounted on elevated platforms such as tower, mast or pole. Broadcast or selective call is possible from subscriber radio under one repeater network to subscriber radio(s) under different network in clear/secure mode. Provision for peer-to-peer communication among different radios without repeater is also catered to.

New Director (HR) takes charge at BEL

Mr R N Bagdalkar took charge as the new Director (Human Resources) at Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) on January 23, 2017. He was working as Executive Director of BEL’s Hyderabad Unit before the elevation.

Mr Bagdalkar joined BEL-Bangalore in March 1984 after completing BE in Electronics and Communications from HKE Society’s Engineering College (now known as PDA College of Engineering), Gulbarga, in May 1983. He was posted to BEL-EMD Hyderabad in May 1985 as part of the core team. He completed PG Diploma in Computer Systems in 1987 from the Institute of Public Enterprise, Hyderabad.

At Hyderabad Unit, he worked for 27 years, in D&E, Testing, System Integration and installation and Commissioning of Electronic Warfare (EW) systems. After working on various EW systems, he went on to head the state-of-the-art Intelligence Electronic Warfare Project for the Indian Navy.

As Head of D&E at Hyderabad Unit, he led his team to successfully complete various projects for Navy, Army and Export. He also initiated a number of in-house technology development modules which will be basic building blocks for futuristic EW systems. He has also built a strong software team; today, the complete software requirement of BEL-Hyderabad is met in-house.

He was elevated as General Manager (Technology Planning)/BEL-Corporate Office on July 1, 2012. He worked as General Manager (Technology Planning)/BEL-Corporate Office for a short period before taking over as General Manager, BEL-Hyderabad in November 2012. He was promoted as Executive Director on August 11, 2016.

During the year 2013-14, under his leadership, BEL-Hyderabad achieved a turnover of Rs. 550 crores, which translated to a per employee turnover of Rs. 1 crore. During the last two years, the performance of BEL-Hyderabad has been consistent and the order book has been on the growth path. The Unit has received Business Performance Awards for 2013-14 and 2014-15.

BEL organises national level seminar on “Role of Startups in Defence”, in association with HAL & BEML Ltd, Bengaluru

A one-day national level event was organised by BEL in association with HAL and BEML, Bengaluru, on January 6, 2017, at the BEL Officers’ Club, Jalahalli, premises. The objective of the programme was to provide a platform for Defence PSUs and start-ups to showcase mutual capabilities, create awareness on avenues and opportunities and to facilitate interaction with each other to help identify areas of partnerships in manufacturing as well other areas like design, development and services.

The seminar stressed on the fact that Indian DPSUs, BEL and HAL, are increasingly looking at Indian startups for small, low-cost military grade innovations to minimise imports to achieve self-reliance and indigenisation. DPSUs need ideas that can become workable military devices at the earliest and startups in Defence Electronics or Aerospace must brave stringent quality and reliability standards and upgrade constantly to stay in the race. BEML brought out the point that opportunities exist for startups even in the form of reducing the weight of the trucks so that they can carry more equipment or help them to monitor the tyre condition better.

In addition to the startup companies from across India, the seminar was attended by officials from Department of IT, BT and S&T, Government of Karnataka, Incubation Cells, academicians, members of industry associations like NASSCOM, IESA, ELCINA and officials from BEL, HAL and BEML. Various policies of the Government of Karnataka for startups, registration procedure, areas of interest, funding by Government of Karnataka, the way forward, etc were highlighted in the presentations.

As many as 72 participants representing around 40 startup enterprises from across India and around 60 officials of BEL, HAL and BEML attended the programme. Some of startups who made presentations during the seminar include Tantragyan Solutions, Signal Chip Innovations (P) Ltd., Crion Technologies, Zumi Solutions (P) Ltd., Lekha Wireless Technologies, ProInn Consuyltancy, Open Invention Network, Asmaitha Wireless Technologies Ltd., Elseq Technologies of Bengaluru and Trinity Simulations (Pune) & Aarjay International and MEL Systems (Chennai).

The inaugural session was attended by Mr Gowtama M V, Chairman & Managing Director, BEL, Dr Ajit T Kalghatgi, Director (R&D), BEL, Mr Muralidhara R H, Director (Defence), BEML, and Mr A Selvaraj, GM (Indigenisation), HAL, Bengaluru. The above dignitaries addressed the participants and highlighted the efforts being put by Governments to promote startups in the Indian industrial ecosystem. As part of representation from the academia, two presentations by Prof Sampath Kumar, CEO & Member Secretary, Sona Business Incubation Center (SBIC), SONA College Of Technology, Salem, Tamil Nadu, and by Dr Lingaraju of MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, were made covering various support measures extended to startups, thrust areas, indigenisation opportunities for industries, networking and ecosystem building, outsourcing & vendor development, funding activities etc, with respect to startups by their respective institutions.

Integrity Pledge was also administered to all participants of the programme during the inaugural session.

BEL launches Remote Controlled Weapon Station for MBT Arjun Mk II

BEL unveiled a new Weapon Control system — Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) / Air Defence Weapon Station (ADWS) for 12.7 mm Gun of MBT Arjun Mk II battle tank, at Aero India 2017 in Bengaluru on February 14, 2017.

The RCWS is an improvised version of the manually operated air defence gun. It enables the soldier to aim and fire at aerial targets from the safe interiors of the battle tank. Presently, the 12.7 mm guns of all tanks are manually operated. RCWS integrated on MBT Mk II has successfully completed tank integration and firing trials in September 2015. RCWS has also been developed for use in Armed Repair and Recovery Vehicle (ARRV). It can also be mounted on hovercraft / fast moving boats for the Coast Guard.

Salient Features

The RCWS for MBT ARJUN Mk II is intended to lay and stabilise the NSVT 12.7 mm machine gun along with the optical sensors in traverse and elevation mounted on the MBT turret. The system allows the operator to control the gun and sight from the operating console and joy stick from inside the turret. The optical sensors include a day camera, Thermal Imager and a Laser Range Finder integrated on a single housing. The system allows automatic target tracking for air and ground targets and performs necessary ballistic computations to feed the ballistic offsets to the gun / sight. The system has a provision for the operator to do automatic loading and firing of the gun.

The system can operate on power mode without stabilisation or in stabilised mode where the gun along with the optical sensors is stabilised. The system can position the turret with an angular travel of 360 deg and elevate the gun in 60 to -5 degree elevation. The sight has a freedom of +/- 17 degree in azimuth and in elevation it can move from -5 to +60 degree. It operates from the 28V DC power source available on the tank. The RCWS meets all environmental specifications and EMI specifications as per MIL STD 461 F.

GM (SP) addresses national conference

Mrs Shikha Gupta, GM (Strategic Planning), addressing the National Conference on ‘Defence Production: Self-reliance & Beyond’ held at New Delhi on December 14, 2016

BMS College of Engineering wins BEL quiz

Bengaluru, November 18, 2016: The team from BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru, comprising Mr Suhas G Pai and Mr Hareesha G Pai, won the first prize comprising a cash prize of Rs.20,000/- at the annual quiz conducted by BEL for engineering students at BEL’s Bangalore Complex on November 18, 2016. The quiz was an initiative of BEL’s Corporate Communication Division to raise scientific awareness among students of 24 engineering colleges which were shortlisted from in and around Bengaluru.

The team from PES Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, comprising Mr Niyam B Joshi and Mr Sasidhar G V, won the second prize (Rs.15,000/-) and the team from Dr Ambedkar Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, comprising Mr Jaffer Nadeem and Mr Rohan Manoor won the third prize (Rs. 10,000/-).

The prizes were presented to the winners by Mrs Shikha Gupta, GM (Strategic Planning)/BEL-Corporate Office, and Mr Shivakumaran K M, GM (HR)/BEL-Bangalore, in the presence of senior executives from Corporate Communication, Bharat Electronics Quality Institute and other Divisions.

Mr M V Gowtama takes charge as CMD of BEL

Bengaluru, November 8, 2016: Mr M V Gowtama has taken charge as the Chairman & Managing Director of BEL.

He joined BEL at Ghaziabad Unit in January 1983 as a Probationary Engineer. He was initially posted to the D&E-Radar Division where he contributed to the development of Receiver sub-system of Cyclone Warning Radar. In about three-and-half years, his team was able to design, develop, manufacture, deliver and commission the first Cyclone Warning Radar at Paradip in Orissa. The Cyclone Warning Radar development team won the R&D Award.

Mr Gowtama was transferred to Hyderabad Unit in May 1986. At Hyderabad Unit, he worked in the D&E, Testing, System Integration, Installation & Commissioning groups of Ajanta project till 1998. His team developed in-house the high voltage power supplies for Ajanta, which was commended by then CMD. He completed MTech in Advanced Electronics from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, even while in service.

From 1998 to 2006, he worked on the Sangraha programme of Indian Navy. With ToT from DLRL, his team developed different ESM systems for submarines, helicopters, medium and long-range aircraft. They also developed in-house a light-weight ESM system for small ships called Sanket. Traditionally, project teams at Hyderabad used to look after ToT, development, testing and installation and commissioning activities. However, a new D&E division was established in 2006 to address future businesses in line with the new defence procurement policy and Mr Gowtama had the opportunity to lead this D&E group as AGM. He was able to establish strong R&D teams at Hyderabad Unit for product/sub-system development, engineering for different platforms and development of complex software.

Mr M V Gowtama took over as GM (Technology Planning)/BEL-Corporate Office, on February 1, 2010. Later he served as GM (Milcom)/BEL-Bengaluru and was Executive Director (Missile Systems)/BEL-Bengaluru till his elevation as CMD, BEL.

Mr M V Gowtama was born on June 26, 1961, in Tenali, the small yet famous town of Andhra Pradesh. He completed his B. Tech in Electronics and Communications from Sri Venkateswara University College of Engineering, Tirupati, in 1983.

BENGALURU, September 19, 2016: BEL is setting up an advanced night vision products factory at Nimmaluru, AP near Machilipatnam in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. It will be the largest such facility in the country once it is commissioned, covering an area of over 50 acres.

The advanced night vision products factory at Nimmaluru will enable BEL to expand its Electro-Optics business and carry out manufacturing and integration for the ongoing and upcoming projects. It will have state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure such as modern optics workshops, clean rooms of the highest standards, facility for Thin Film coating with higher durability and other modern SPDT and CNC Machines.

The new facility is about 16 km from the existing Unit of BEL at Machilipatnam. It will be built in stages and the estimated investment will be about Rs.300 crores over four years’ period. As part of diversification and business growth, BEL is looking for major expansion into high-end Image Intensifier Tubes and Thermal Imaging detectors for Night Vision Products, Inertial Navigation Systems, Electronic Ammunition Fuses, Air Traffic Management Radars, Intelligent Traffic Management Systems and Solar Power Plants.

BEL wins India Skill Award

BEL has won the India Skill Award (2016) in recognition of ‘augmenting skill development processes for the country by engaging maximum apprentices’ in the category of Central Public Sector from the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India. Mr Veeresh D Bevinamarad, GM (HR)/CO, and Mr Ravishankar, K G, AGM (CLD)/BG, received the award from Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Mrs Anandi Ramalingam takes charge as Director (Mktg)

Mrs Anandi Ramalingam took charge as Director (Marketing) on September 16, 2016. She was GM (Milcom) at BEL-Bengaluru before her elevation.

Mrs Anandi Ramalingam joined BEL-Bangalore in March 1985 after completing her BE in Electronics and Communication Engineering from the PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore. For the next 20 years, she gained diverse experience in equipment testing working across various domains of military communication including heading testing for ‘Shakti”, the flagship Artillery Combat Command and Control System, developed by BEL and DRDO for the Indian Army and AREN (Army Radio Engineered Network) winning the Raksha Mantri’s Award. During this period, she was also awarded the Executive Excellence Award, in the very first year of its inception.

In 2004, she was roped in as part of the team formed to set up the Marketing Division for the Military Communication & Electronic Warfare SBU at Bangalore Complex. The team pioneered proactive business development practices in BEL and gradually assisted other SBUs in establishing effective marketing systems. In 2007, she was elevated as the Marketing Head of the Military Communication SBU where her team could achieve record growth in order book and turnover.

In 2010, Mrs Anandi Ramalingam moved to the International Marketing Division (IMD) to head Defence Offsets, establishing BEL as a reliance global supply chain partner for multiple foreign OEMs and facilitating substantial growth of BEL’s export order book.

In December 2014, she moved to the National Marketing Division as GM. Within a short span of time, she saw to it that BEL’s order book grew significantly. In May 2016, she assumed charge as GM (Milcom) at BEL-Bangalore and steered the business till her elevation as Director.

BEL pays Rs.261 cr final dividend to Govt

New Delhi, October 24, 2016: BEL has paid a total dividend of 170% to the Government of India for 2015-16. Mrs Anandi Ramalingam, Director (Marketing), BEL, along with Mr M V Gowtama, Executive Director (Missile Systems)/BEL-Bengaluru, presented the 145% final dividend cheque of Rs. 261,06,18,135/- (Rupees two hundred and sixty one crores six lakhs eighteen thousand one hundred thirty five only), payable on the shares held by the President of India and Government nominee, to the Defence Minister, Mr Manohar Parrikar, at New Delhi on October 24, 2016. The 25% Interim Dividend was paid to the Government of India in February 2016.

BEL wins Karnataka State Export Award

Bangalore, August 23, 2016: BEL has won the Government of Karnataka State Export Excellence Award for the year 2014-15 in the 'Electronics and Communications (excluding IT/BT & ITES sector) Medium/Large Enterprise Sector’ category. Dr Ajit T Kalghatgi, Director (R&D), BEL, received the award for BEL from Mr Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka, at the awards ceremony organised at Bengaluru by the Visvesvaraya Trade Promotion Centre on August 23, 2016.

BEL wins Dun and Bradstreet Top PSU Award 2016

BENGALURU, August 26, 2016: BEL has won the Dun and Bradstreet Indias Top PSU Award 2016 in the Manufacturing: Medium and Light Engineering Sector category. Mr M M Joshi, Executive Director (National Marketing), BEL, received the award for BEL from Mr Anil Swarup, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Government of India, at the awards ceremony held at New Delhi on August 22, 2016. The occasion also marked the launch of the 9th edition of Dun and Bradstreet India’s publication, ‘India’s Top PSUs 2016’.

BEL wins Dun & Bradstreet Award

BENGALURU, June 21, 2016: BEL has been chosen as one of ‘India’s Top 500 Companies’ at the Dun & Bradstreet Corporate Awards 2016 function held in Mumbai recently. Mr M M Pandey, GM (Navi Mumbai), BEL, received the award for BEL from Dr Bibek Debroy, Member, NITI Aayog, Government of India, the chief guest. The occasion also marked the launch of the 16th edition of Dun & Bradstreet India’s publication, ‘India’s Top PSU Awards 2015’ by Dr Bibek Debroy and Mr Anil Swarup, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Government of India, special guest. ‘India’s Top 500 Companies’ are in all respect the driving force of the economy. Dun & Bradstreet, leading provider of business knowledge and insights, in its premier publication, ‘India’s Top 500 Companies’ acknowledges and felicitates these companies, which are torchbearers in their respective sectors of the Indian economy.

BEL breathes life into Ballupet Govt school

BENGALURU, June 24, 2016: An 87-year-old school at Ballupet, which was in a dilapidated condition with leaking roof and crumbling stone pillars, has got a new lease of life, thanks to the efforts of BEL. BEL has constructed a new building for the Government Higher Primary School with 10 classrooms, staff room and HM room, separate toilet blocks for boys and girls, kitchen and store room, facility for hand wash, borewell and a boundary wall apart from providing furniture for the classrooms and staff room, as part of its CSR activities. The entire project was completed in nine months at a cost of Rs. Rs.1.85 crores. The school houses 125 students, mostly from economically weaker families, and needed more classrooms as the student strength was on the rise. The new building, located at Ballupet in the Sakleshpur taluq of Hassan district, was inaugurated on June 23, 2016, by Mr M L Shanmukh, Director (HR), in the presence of Mr H D Deve Gowda, former Prime Minister and Hassan MP. Mr A Manju, Minister for Sericulture & Animal Husbandry, Government of Karnataka, was the Guest of Honour. Mr H K Kumaraswamy, Sakleshpur MLA, presided over the function. Dignitaries from BEL included Mr Nataraj Krishnappa, Director (Other Units), and other senior officers.

BEL wins PSE Excellence Awards

BENGALURU, July 12, 2016: BEL has won four PSE Excellence Awards 2015, instituted by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, Kolkata: second prize in ‘Operational Performance Excellence’, second prize in ‘R&D, Technology Development and Innovation’, ‘third prize in Corporate Governance’ and third prize in ‘HR Management Excellence’, under the Navratna category. Mr Girish Kumar, Director (Bangalore Complex), BEL, and Mr M M Joshi, GM (National Marketing), BEL, received the awards from Mr T N R Rao, Chairman for the PSE Excellence Awards jury and former Petroleum Secretary, at the awards function held at New Delhi on July 6, 2016. Dr Bhaskar Chatterjee, CEO, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, and former Secretary, DPE, was present.

BEL CMD awarded as Most Enterprising CEO

BENGALURU, August 19, 2016: Mr S K Sharma, Chairman and Managing Director of Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), has been awarded as the Most Enterprising CEO in Electronics Sector by the Indo Global Business Council (IGBC), a policy think tank based in New Delhi. Mr M M Joshi, Executive Director (National Marketing), BEL, received the award on behalf of CMD at an award function held in Delhi on August 12, 2016.

Dr Rajeshwari Janakiraman observed that cases of diabetes were fast increasing these days across all age groups. The trend was more noticeable in rural areas. Even children are becoming prone to the disease. Diabetes is a silent killer as it can lead to blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and lower limb amputation. Acute diabetes can result in dehydration, frequent infection or electrolyte imbalance. As per statistics, it has the potential to become the 7th leading cause of deaths by 2030, she said. Explaining the parameters of detecting diabetes mellitus, Dr Rajeshwari Janakiraman said that if the fasting sugar is >126 and postprandial blood sugar (2 hours after meal) is >200, a person is said to be diabetic. If the random blood sugar is >200 it would be a case of symptomatic diabetic.

Ways to prevent diabetes include avoiding tobacco and alcohol, following a healthy diet and engaging in regular physical activity. One should include lot of fibrous food like vegetables and fruits in one’s diet. The intake of white sugar should be limited and iodised salt should only be consumed. A platter of food should contain 25% starch, 25% protein and 50% fiber. How the food is cooked is equally important. The usage of oil should be limited to 0.5 kg per month, per person. Walking 30 minutes daily at a moderate speed (5 kmph) at least 5 days a week or 150 minutes per week reduce the LDL (bad cholesterol) and improve HDL (good cholesterol). A diabetic person should get a medical check-up done every four months and start treatment at the earliest lest the disease worsens. Urine, feet and eyes should be checked regularly.

There is no general medication for diabetes. Each patient needs specific treatment and medication. The lectures were followed by an interaction session. Dr B S Jayashree, Assistant Chief Medical Officer, proposed the vote of thanks.

BEL bags India Pride Award

BENGALURU,April 6,2016:Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has won the ‘Dainik Bhaskar India Pride Award’ in the Defence category for the year 2015-16. Mr Girish Kumar, Executive Director (Radar) & Unit Head, BEL-Ghaziabad, received the award from Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology, along with Mr V B Gupta, Senior Deputy General Manager (Management Services & Public Relations)/BEL-Ghaziabad, at the awards ceremony held at New Delhi on April 4, 2016. The Dainik Bhaskar media group has instituted the ‘India Pride Awards’ to honour PSUs which have made significant contributions to the growth of the Indian economy.